UN Warns of “Frightening” Consequences of Virus in Gaza

By Staff, Agencies

UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory said that there can be frightening consequences of coronavirus in Gaza Strip that is under the Israeli blockade, Anadolu Agency reports.

Jamie McGoldrick told UN News that a possible COVID-19 outbreak in Gaza can be terrible due to the long-term blockade, over population, and limited health facilities in the region.

Worried about situation in Gaza Strip, McGoldrick said the people will get stuck in the region in case of an epidemic, resulting in spread of the virus.

In an interview published on Saturday at the UN’s website, he pointed out the weak and insufficient health system in Gaza regarding financial sources and equipment, and said they are in contact with the Palestinian administration and the World Health Organization over the improvement of the health system.

He stated that they are working with international donors on a project with a $7 million budget to meet Gaza’s urgent need for humanitarian aid for the next two months.

The Palestinian Health Ministry early Sunday confirmed the first two cases of coronavirus in the Gaza Strip.

Following the confirmed cases, a World Health Organization [WHO] delegation arrived in Gaza to assess the situation, a Palestinian security source said.

Gaza's health ministry said the two people who tested positive had been held in quarantine since their return from Pakistan on Thursday and had not interacted with the wider population.

"These two cases were recorded among those who returned to Gaza ... [and] did not mix with the residents of the Gaza Strip," deputy health minister Yousef Abu Al-Reesh told reporters.

The sick, identified as two men, were in stable condition, the health ministry said.

The “Israeli” entity has enforced a blockade on Gaza since 2007. Movement in and out of the territory – which was severely restricted by the entity and Egypt before the pandemic – has tightened in response to the coronavirus threat.

Authorities in Gaza have said that more than 2,700 Palestinians are in home-isolation, mostly people who had returned from Egypt.

A civilian group called the al-Shajaiyah initiative hit the streets of Gaza City on Sunday after the cases were confirmed, working to clean the street with sanitizing spray.

"We in the Gaza Strip have been under siege for 14 years and the possibilities [to protect ourselves] are very limited," said Ahmad Al Wadya, a doctor helping to coordinate the effort.